INDIANAPOLIS — It’s year number two for Kyle Larson‘s attempt at the Indianapolis-Charlotte double, and once again it’s one of the biggest headlines of the Memorial Day weekend.
During the Indianapolis 500 media day, Larson joined the rest of the 32 drivers that will take part in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. He’s not the first driver to attempt the 1,100-mile feat, and chances are he will likely not be the last.
With that said, who should be next?
“I think Scott [Dixon] would be one for sure,” four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves told Frontstretch. “Or [Scott McLaughlin]. He definitely has experience in going from here to there.”
At one point in time, a Dixon attempt at the double was supposed to be a reality. However, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver reported that the deal fell short.
“I think we had kind of talked about it years ago with Chip [Ganassi], but it just never really came to anything. I think it’s very difficult. I think it’s maybe manufacturer situation, teams. It’s not an easy thing to do. So, I really admire the people that do it and obviously the success that we’ve seen with a lot of them has been huge. So, yeah, it’s not in my future.”
Team Penske driver and reigning Indianapolis 500 Champion Josef Newgarden looked to the NASCAR side of things. Or more specifically, the Penske side.
“There’s so many,” Newgarden said. “Gosh, we could have a huge laundry list of people that should do it. I think [Ryan] Blaney really wants to do it. … I would love to see Ryan [Blaney] do it at some point. I don’t know how he would do in IndyCar. I think it’d just be fun to see.”
However, he also agreed with Dixon that getting the resources together to make an attempt is harder than it looks.
“I want to do it. I think you could ask majority of the field would want to do the double. It’s so much fun. It’s just very difficult to get that lined up. Doing what [Larson’s] doing now is harder than it looks. What I mean by that is just putting the program together. You would have a lot of people doing it if it was simple. I can promise you that.”
IndyCar Series veteran and second-generation racer Graham Rahal illustrated more as to why that is. Seemingly, in the past, NASCAR drivers have had an easier time gaining rides for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Not so much for the other way around.
“I think it’d be cruel to see like a Chase Elliott or William Byron,” Rahal told Frontstretch. “Well, actually, Christopher Bell. Bell’s a great kid, too. I know him a little bit from when he was in [NASCAR Xfinity Series]. I think Bell would be pretty sick because I think Bell’s got heaps of talent, too.
“I think anybody could do it. It’s just the equipment that you’re in. When we bring those guys here, it’s typically they’re in top tier equipment, like a McLaren, or one Kurt [Busch] came and drove for an [Andretti Global]. But normally it’s like every time any IndyCar guy’s got in there, it’s been in shitty equipment. That’s the problem. Like, if you’re going to put one of our guys, if you’re going to bring somebody over here and put them in a McLaren or put them in a Penske … or put them in whatever, well then when our guys go there, they need a Hendrick [Motorsports] car underneath them or they need something on that level. I think that’s just the fair approach.
Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column, co-host of the Frontstretch Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT